Famers Markets

I was raised in the Seattle area and one of the historic tourist attractions was the Pike Place Market on the waterfront. The sights, sounds, and smells of the market were amazing and a person could wander for hours and look at all the fruits, vegetables, fish, and hand crafted items. As teenagers we could ride the bus to town and spend the day. All of a sudden a peach was important. Not something among all the items in the sterile grocery store but now it was a real piece of fruit that smelled and tasted delicious. There were always people of all ethnic groups so many languages could be heard speaking at once and suddenly you might see a fish being thrown through the air. The facility had many small eating and coffee places to sit when your feet needed a rest. Even if a person just bought a couple of items the joy was in the selection and adventure of the moment.

An American Opportunity - Community Gardens

If you have never tasted a home grown tomato or fresh picked corn now is your chance for an amazing treat.  Community gardens are in full swing and the more volunteers they have the more they are able to produce.  You don't need experience, just a willingness to get your hands dirty. If you don't want to do that garden gloves are very affordable.  Wear your sunscreen and you can get a nice tan in the process.

Observations from a Country Mouse

Recently Christine from Money Funk blog wrote a post about impulse spending and boy did she hit where people live…. There were many comments from readers who described emotional buying as their biggest challenge in bringing their budget under control. For those who don’t know Christine or her blog I have often enjoyed and praised her work as I have followed it through the blogisphere. (I admit, I sometimes like to make up words and pass them off as real; I learned it from my son when we played boggle.)

Personally, I don’t enjoy going to the mall unless I have $200 cash in my pocket and have some specific items I’m looking for. That right there makes me somewhat unusual. Around the time Christine’s post came out I received an invitation to go to the mall. Normally I would have begged off but decided to go just to see what the fuss was about.

Off we went to a gigantic outlet mall. We wandered and I watched and observed. Having lived in a small town for the last many years it was like country mouse headed into city mouse’s domain. Here are a couple of my impressions:


1. What if I get lost? I kid you not. The place was big and lots of people. I don’t have a cell phone. I spent most of the time trying to stay with the people I came with or looking around the stores to find them. At one point I ventured off by myself and spent the next few minutes noticing how many people were dressed similarly to the people I came with. I really thought that maybe I should hold someone’s hand. I wanted to ask but knew I’d get one of those “Are your crazy?” looks.

In The Trenches - Camping

Summer is almost here and with it the biggest camping day of the year.  Folks flood from the city with their motor homes, campers, and tents.  Since I have lived in a rural area for years I have seen them driving by on the highway.  Even rural people love to plan a camping get together for family and friends and the barbeques and picnics are awesome.   Compared to many vacations or weekend excursions the cost is minimal and doesn't have to cost much more than a tank of gas if you live close enough to the camping areas.  If you don't want to deal with such big crowds weekdays can be much more peaceful.  If you plan to stay at established campground make sure to make a reservation or you might find yourself with no place to stay.  Above all bring the marshmellows.

If even a weekend trip is beyond your budget some of the most fun I had as a kid was sleeping in the backyard under the trees with my cat on the corner of the sleeping bag keeping guard all night.  When my children were small my mother would invite them all over and they would all camp in the back yard.  They didn't even realize they were not out in the woods until it was time to run in the house to use the bathroom. 

Fun times and good memories don't have to cost a fortune.

In The Trenches - Baked Potatoes

My coworker Jeryne's husband went to the grocery store and in an effort to save money bought a 50 pound box of big potatoes at a very discounted price. This is a two person family and Jeryne knew that there was no way they could eat all these potatos before they spoiled. So she came up with a great idea:

Have a party!

Actually it was a office potluck but we had not had one for so long it felt like a party. Jeryne brought in the big baked potatoes and we all brought the toppings.

Toppings:

Sour Cream
Butter
Bacon Bits
Green onions
White onions
Salt and Pepper
Shredded Cheese of any kind
Your favorite?

A couple of weeks later it was my last day at work.

A Taco buffet was on the menu:

Shells
Meat
Re-fried Beans
Shredded Cheese
White onions
Green onions
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Black Olives
Salsa

Both of these ideas are fun, economical and can be used to start your own get-together of friends, coworkers, church or club members, or family. They are potluck in nature but even less expensive. Combine it with movie night and your entertainment budget can be less than $3.

Who says that living In The Trenches can't be fun?

In The Trenches - Family TV Night

We live in a busy world.  Go, go, go.  We have calendars, day planners, internet reminders.  Busy, busy, busy.  We rarely have the time even for family dinners as we grab something between the soccor practice and the homework.

When I was a kid every Sunday night we watched Lassie and Bonanza.  Mom put on the popcorn and the whole family sat cuddled together on the couch to munch and watch.  I still remember the episode when Lassie got scooped up by a back hoe.  It was dramatic and I cried but it all turned out ok.

Then, in my twenties I would rush to get all the kids together and head to my sister-in-laws to watch Dallas and Dynasty.  She would have some food and we would sit glued to the TV to see what J.R. was up to while the kids ran and played.  We caught up on all our visiting and daily lives during the commercials.

Then, when my son was a teen, it was Fresh Prince.  He would call me upstairs with a "hurry, mom" and we would lay on the bed and watch the show and laugh together.

The occasion was special because we decided to make it special.  We set the time aside and without fail made it our routine.  And with the routine came the tradition.  With the tradition came the happy memories.

Who would imagine that a person would remember a single TV episode over 40+ years later?  It's because I was sitting next to my dad with a bowl of popcorn.

In The Trenches - Board games.

Remember them?  Hours and hours of entertainment with no expense.  Time to drag them out again. 

These are some of our family's favorites:

Yahtzee - my #1
Uno
Dominos
Bingo
Clue
Checkers
Monopoly
Crazy eights
Chess
Solitaire
Sorry
Candyland
Flashcards
Puzzles

If I missed one of your favorites feel free to add it in the comments. 

In The Trenches - Entertaining

Just because you are in the trenches doesn't mean you can't have fun. Potlucks have been around forever and can bring your friends together in your home, at the beach, or on a camping trip. They can be full meal or deserts only. One fun event I attended was a pasta making party and of course the 70's were famous for fondue.

If your friends live close by try a progressive dinner. The first house serves appetizers, the second salad, the third main dish, and last is desert. The expense is then shared by the participants. This is fun at Christmas time because you can enjoy the decorations as you move along.

And, there's movie night. Rent your favorite movie, make some popcorn, and relax. Or, if you just want to visit you can put on the coffee pot and have a movie to entertain the kids.

With summer coming I just have to mention barbecues. There just can't be enough of those.